Perfectly Imperfect
by TheEliteLabRatsLover
Summary: Joe honestly never wanted Barry to work at the CCPD. But that didn't stop him from congratulating him when it happened. Even if the mere thought of him working there terrified Joe to the very core. (Dedicated to TeddyBear98!)


**How does this always happen? Every time I try to do a happy and lighthearted fic, it turns into _this_. Lol, I don't think many of you mind. ;P Anywho, this is totally dedicated to TeddyBear98, who is an awesome friend and person, and writes some of the best Flash stories ever, so, ya' know, go check her out, ya'll. Like right now. Or well, after this story. ;D I love being your friend and it is such an honor to be your friend. ;) You're pretty spectacular. And I seriously hope that you like the story!**

 **Btw, this story is set _before_ he becomes the Flash. Just so it's not confusin' for ya'll. ;)**

 **Disclaimer: What would you do if I said I did own this? ... ... ...Fine. I don't own this. Yet...**

* * *

To be honest, Joe didn't want Barry to work at the CCPD.

He would have done anything to stop either of his children from working there. And it looked like it had worked on only one of his children.

He still remembers the day that Barry had first come into the CCPD to volunteer. Everyone had already met the kid, due to either Barry's mother's murder, or the fact that Joe had adopted him, and often brought him and Iris into the CCPD.

Perhaps that was one of his many mistakes in stopping them from becoming involved with the police.

He remembers Barry being shy yet somehow so excited as he did small errands around what he hoped to call his future 'job'. Joe had simply nodded with a closed smile, thankful for Singh calling him away to check on something. It went on that way for several years, the 'small errands' becoming bigger and more daunting tasks as he learned more about being a CSI.

He remembers coming back from a case, drained emotionally and physically, and just wondering _why_. _Why_ did there have to be murderers? _Why_ did the world have to be so cruel? And _why_ did Joe even take this job?

He knew the answer; he wanted to help people.

And he remembers coming back to work after that case, and just seeing that _smile_ on Barry's face. And feeling that build in his chest, because if _Barry_ can make it, so can _he_. But he also remembered the feeling of fear taking root in his chest, also, as he refused to let Barry become a CSI.

He couldn't let the boy he had come to think of as a son be damaged in the way that this job required.

But, he realized, the boy had already been damaged when his father had murdered his mother. That angered him to this day, that Barry's father had been so _careless_ and hadn't even bothered to think about the way it would effect his own son. And every time that Joe saw a family, being torn apart in the worst of ways, he thinks about Barry.

He thinks all of the countless nights of being woke up to the horrible sounds of screams, of seeing the silent tears in Barry's eyes as he woke up and called for his mom, but realizing that never again would she be able to hold her in her arms.

He remembers feeling the need to protect Barry, since he had failed to protect him _that_ night. The night of his mother's murder. He remembers promising to himself that at all costs, Joe would keep Barry safe from harm. But he also remembers the night that that promise was broken.

And he's reminded by it every single day when he sees the scar on Barry's forehead...

* * *

 _"So, what'd you do at the precinct today?" Joe asked, pressing his lips together as he turned off of the CCPD parking lot and onto the unusually bare highway, squinting against the dark of the night and pouring rain._

 _Just his luck that the day would turn out storming. He briefly shot a glance over at the other occupant of the car, a seventeen year old Barry, and saw even in the dark, the large and wide smile that lit up Barry's face._

 _"Captain Singh let me rearrange some of the chemicals in the CSI lab, which I know isn't that big of deal, but it was pretty cool to me, because I've learned so much about all of these chemicals, but to actually mess with them, and-and look at them...it was awesome." Barry breathed out the last part, having run his entire sentence together, and Joe couldn't help the chuckle that escaped past his lips._

 _"Breathe, Barry." Joe said in amusement, and didn't miss the flush of red on Barry's cheeks._

 _"Sorry. Just got excited." Barry stated, and Joe lightly shook his head. He knew that he shouldn't encourage Barry with this, but this was the most excited Joe had seen him be in a long time. Egging him on a little longer wouldn't hurt, right? "Man, it is dark out there tonight." Barry said, leaning slightly as he looked out the windshield and shaking his head lightly at the impact of the rain on the window._

 _"Yeah, if I had known it was going to storm, I would've left sooner." Joe declared, and Barry sighed as he leaned back against his seat._

 _"So, what did you do?"_

 _"Just worked on a case." Joe stated, keeping his sentence short; not wanting to relieve the events that took place prior in the day._

 _"Was it the Jepsen case?" Barry asked, immediately sitting back up straight as he looked at Joe. "Because I've got some ideas on-"_

 _"No." Joe declared, and Barry stopped immediately._

 _"What? Why?"_

 _"Because," Joe sighed. "This is a very dangerous case, and I don't want you getting caught up in it." Joe said, glancing over at Barry to make sure that his point had been shown. Barry nodded slightly, brows furrowing just the littlest._

 _"Okay..." He said, turning back away to look out the window. He wasn't hurt or mad, he was just...confused. Joe had encouraged him so much, that it didn't make sense to him why Joe had told him to stop. Joe knew this, and also knew that he shouldn't encourage him like that, but he couldn't help it. Barry was finally happy and-_

 _"What the hell?" He muttered under his breath as he looked in the rearview mirror, forgetting any previous thoughts as he saw the black SUV approaching them at a rapid pace._

 _"What?" Barry asked, pausing only for a moment, before looking in the mirror, also. Joe's heart suddenly dropped as he realized what was about to happen._

 _"Barry!" He shouted as he threw his arm out to the side in front of him, but his shout was drowned out by the sound of metal on metal as the SUV collided with them from the back. The car lurched ahead, but before Joe could do anything, the SUV was suddenly beside them as it crashed into the side of them, sending their car straight off of the road._

 _Glass was sent flying from the windows breaking, and for only a moment, they were suspended in air as it began to roll, but suddenly the car was coming down with a horrible crunch of metal as the car collided with the ground, and Joe's head snapped forward, and he missed the steering wheel by only inches._

 _The car continued to roll at an all too fast pace, but somehow it felt like forever. Joe felt something pierce his shoulder, and knew that it was the impact of glass. He could hear the crunch of metal as the vehicle formed it's new shape, and he tried to call out for Barry, but it was once again drowned out as the vehicle tumbled down the hill._

 _Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the vehicle came to a stop, tipping on it's side as it contemplated rolling once more, before settling onto it's back with a creak._

 _Joe's vision blackened for a moment as he fought consciousness, but he knew he needed to be awake. He needed to make sure that Barry was alright. "Barry," He croaked out, trying to fight against the darkness in his vision, while simultaneously ignoring the pain piercing his shoulder, whiplash, and strain of the seatbelt against his body as the vehicle remained upside down._

 _He tried to look over to the side, knowing that his call for the boy wouldn't have been loud enough to hear over the loud patter of pouring rain as it fell into the now windowless vehicle. He finally managed to move his head to the side; horror and an immense fear-filled dread weighing down on him at the sight._

 _"Barry!" He all but shouted, voice filled with fear. Barry was slumped forward against his seat, blood dripping freely and immensely from a wound on his head. Joe immediately reached over, shakily, and checked for a pulse._

 _Thank God._

 _It was there. It was fast and irregular, but it was there. He quickly started to try and get his seatbelt off, fumbling from the adrenaline pumping in his veins, and bracing for the impact of falling once he finally managed to get it undone._

 _He tried to crawl over to Barry's side, the pain now entirely dull as he crawled on his hand and knees over the shards of broken glass. "Barry, hey, Barry," Joe said shakily, trying to rouse his son, but failing. He attempted with shaking hands to undo Barry's seatbelt, cursing loudly as it was stuck; fully aware of the danger that could still be lurking outside._

 _With a sigh of relief, he finally managed to undo the buckle, and caught Barry as he slumped forward against him. "It's okay, son, you're okay." Joe said, voice hoarse as he tried more to convince himself rather than Barry that he was okay. Thankfully, the windows were entirely gone, so he had little issue crawling out of the vehicle; Barry in his arms._

 _He was immediately welcomed by the wet feeling of grass beneath his palms, as the rain continued to pour down on them. With his hands under Barry's arms, Joe pulled him further out onto the grass, gently lying him on his back and trying to ignore the way his head lolled lifelessly to the side._

 _Joe quickly checked his surroundings, finding that the black SUV had disappeared and there was seemingly no more threat than what had already been done. Joe turned his attention to the still form lying on the grass, and immediately checked for his pulse again. "Barry, hey, come one, wake up," He encouraged quietly, unsure of what to do._

 _If this was any other situation, he was positive that his instincts would have kicked in and he would be moving without thinking. But this was Barry. He quickly reached into his back pocket, pulling out his phone and thanking God that it still worked, and immediately called 911._

 _He glanced over at Barry, noticing the blood continue to trickle down the side of his face, and praying that it would be only a mild concussion. When the phone stopped ringing, after what felt like an eternity, and somebody answered, Joe immediately told them his location, and thanked any God out there that it would be merely a couple of minutes before help arrived._

 _Tucking the phone back in his pocket, and turning his attention back to the fallen boy beside him. "Baer, it's alright. You're going to be alright, okay?" He asked, and he felt his heart suddenly lurch as he mentally cursed himself for only noticing it now._

 _Barry's lips had a tinge of blue to them, and when Joe hurriedly grabbed Barry's limp hand, he was horrified to find that his fingernails held the same tinge of blue. That could mean only one thing; there was something wrong with his lungs. He wasn't getting enough oxygen in his blood._

 _And only now when he listened, could he hear the hitch in Barry's breathing over the loud patter of the rain. He tried to ignore the fear in his chest, threatening to swallow him whole and he tried to think clearly. Barry would be fine. They were only a minute or so out. Barry would be completely fine._

 _But somehow he couldn't find it in him to believe it._

* * *

He hates that he can't protect him.

Them.

He still would have occasional nightmares about that night, but with a much worse, _horrible_ , ending. How Barry had managed to escape all of that, and still come out on top of it was truly a miracle that Joe thanked God for every time he thought of it.

A punctured lung, broken ribs, and a concussion had been the only injuries that Barry had obtained that night; excluding superficial injuries. Like the scar that would forever remind Joe how he had failed to protect Barry.

He remembers how terrified he had been, for two and a half months, and how he had tried, _oh, dear Lord did he try_ , to protect both Barry and Iris, until they had caught the guy that had run them off of the road. Carlisle Wright. Every time he thought of that name he was reminded how close the man had come to tearing apart Joe's precious family.

And Joe remembers vowing to himself that night that neither of his children would join the police force.

Little did he know that he could only succeed in keeping that goal with one child. Iris had shown the most enthusiasm, as if nothing could stop her from achieving that goal, that he had been so fixated on stopping her, he didn't even realize that he had just allowed Barry to waltz right into that job offer.

Barry had come home from college recently, and wouldn't you know that the CCPD would have a job opportunity?

A perfect opening for Barry to be a CSI's assistant? Joe had tried to convince him to not take it, saying that he went to college, he shouldn't waste what could be a potentially incredible career for a job at the Precinct.

He also remembers saying something along the lines that Barry shouldn't waste his own future to prove his father's innocence, because he _was not innocent_. It had ended with a nearly shouting match, and Barry going to the job interview the next day. It was true that Joe didn't want Barry to waste his entire future, but what scared him the most was the danger.

Not just physically but _emotionally_.

That job...and though it might not be exactly like Joe's line of work, it was still horrifying and draining, and Joe just did not want Barry to make an unchangeable mistake. So that's why Joe could only stand here in shock, as Barry came through the front door, a huge smile on his face as he looked at them, telling them that he had gotten the job.

"What? Oh my God, Barry, that's incredible!" Iris exclaimed, being the first one to snap out of the shocked stupor he had managed to put them both in. She immediately went forward and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. Joe, however, only stood there in stunned disbelief. This...this couldn't be happening. Iris pulled away, leaving one hand on Barry's arm, and they both looked at him.

Iris wore an expression of slight worry, hoping that he wouldn't be upset, and Barry wore a look of joy, excitement and slight apprehension all mixed into one on his young face. Joe inhaled briefly, forcing a smile onto his face as he moved forward and enveloped the boy in his arms. _Boy_.

"Congratulations, Baer." Joe declared as he pulled away, and no, his voice did not almost crack. Barry just smiled in return, the look of anticipation returning as he realized that Joe did somewhat approve and wasn't angry. Joe wasn't angry. No, he was _terrified_. But there was nothing that he could do now. Barry had the job and there would be no turning back anymore.

"Thanks," Barry breathed with a relieved smile. Iris asked Barry a question, Joe wasn't sure what, but it must have excited Barry because he smiled even wider and immediately started to talk about it. Joe couldn't hear anything other than the rushing in his ears. He sighed lightly, almost inaudibly, before he forced the smile back onto his face.

"I'm going to make some celebratory punch and lasagna for supper," Joe said, speaking over them, before pointing his finger towards Barry. "And Barry, I want to hear all about it." He said and if that was even possible, Barry's smile got even larger. He nodded excitedly.

"Okay," He breathed, and that was how they all found themselves in the kitchen making punch and lasagna. Even though Joe had insisted on doing it himself, Barry and Iris had both declared that they would be helping as Barry talked about everything that had occurred that day.

And even though Joe feared what the future may hold, he wouldn't trade this day for any other in the world. This...as corrupted, twisted, and damaged as it was, this was his family. And it may not be perfect, but it was his own, and he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Somewhere in between the moment of Barry knocking over the full bottle of ginger ale while making the punch, that hilarious look on his face as Iris laughed and he struggled to get it cleaned up in time, Joe sighing in fond exasperation at his clumsiness, and the moment of Iris putting on Barry's favorite song "Poker Face", the flush of pink on Barry's cheeks as Joe laughed in amusement at his choice of music, and Iris taking Barry's hand and forcing him to dance with her, him eventually giving in because he can _not_ say no to her, while Joe watched on the sidelines with fond amusement, did he realize that his family was perfect.

At least for _them_ , it was perfect.

And though he may dread the future, this moment with his dysfunctional yet somehow perfect family, would make up for all of the other moments. But no matter their futures, Joe knew that nothing could ever separate them.

And no matter what happened, no matter what trials they faced, or tragedies they endured, Joe knew that they would forever be together.

As a perfectly imperfect family.

* * *

 **Well...at least I tried to end it on a high note. You can't say that I didn't try; it just happens. Lol. Until next time, my lovelies. ;)**


End file.
